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MARLINGTON – More than 700 acres of the Monongahela National Forest in Pocahontas and Tucker counties will be burned as part of a roll out of prescribed burns this fall.
The U.S. Forest Service has announced that Monongahela National Forest staff plan to conduct prescribed burns on 726 acres in Pocahontas and Tucker counties. The burns will take place from mid-October through mid-November, “weather permitting.” Established in 1920, the Monongahela National Forest spans almost one million acres across 10 counties in the state.
“The purposes of these treatments are to re-establish fire's natural role in the forest ecosystem, improve forest health and wildlife habitat and reduce the threat of catastrophic wildfires,” the U.S. Forest Service said in a social media post announcing the burns.
Project areas planned for prescribed burns this fall include:
– 464 acres of Upper Greenbrier North in Pocahontas County;
– 52 acres of Nursery Bottom in Tucker County;
– 210 acres of Upper John B. Hollow in Tucker County.
Each burn area will be closed to the public on the day of the burn, the U.S. Forest Service says, and the area may be closed for several days after “to ensure public safety.”
“Prescribed burns are conducted under specific weather conditions and are designed to accomplish pre-determined forest management goals,” the post stated. “Monongahela National Forest follows strict guidelines for conducting prescribed burns, and takes into consideration environmental factors such as temperature, humidity, smoke dispersion and wind. If any environmental conditions are not within limits, the burn will be postponed.”
The U.S. Forest Service added that additional information will be shared in advance of each prescribed burn.